Mohammad Aamer, left, of Pakistan celebrates taking the wicket of Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, at Lord's yesterday.
Mohammad Aamer, left, of Pakistan celebrates taking the wicket of Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, at Lord's yesterday.

Asif holds sway over Australia



LONDON // The swing bowler Mohammad Asif's spell of three wickets in seven balls tilted day one of the first Test in Pakistan's favour as Australia collapsed to 229 for nine at Lord's before bad light stopped play yesterday. Australia were in a promising position at 171 for two just before tea. However, they lost seven wickets for just 51 runs in 23 overs as Asif (3-53) and new-ball partner Mohammad Aamer (3-66) impressed in bowler-friendly, overcast conditions, as Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, continued to toil at Lord's.

The opener Simon Katich made a patient 80 but was one of Asif's victims in a crucial spell either side of tea. Michael Clarke (47) was trapped lbw to an inswinger on the final ball of the second session before Katich and Marcus North (zero) fell shortly after. Asif's and Pakistan's fortunes turned for the better after he was switched to the Pavilion End from the Nursery End, with Katich and Clarke having put on 120 for the third wicket.

Mike Hussey helped stretch Australia's total with a gritty unbeaten 39 and Doug Bollinger (zero) was the other not-out batsman at the close of play. Both teams gave Test debuts to two players. Pakistan selected the batsmen Umar Amin and Azhar Ali, while Australia picked the leg-spinner Steven Smith and the reserve wicketkeeper Tim Paine in the absence of the injured Brad Haddin. The start of the match was delayed by 90 minutes because of a damp outfield but when play did begin, the left-armer Aamer caused the opener Shane Watson (four) immediate problems with his ability to swing the ball both ways.

Watson chose to leave a delivery in the fifth over, only to see it swing back into him and strike him on the pads. On the next ball, Watson again decided to leave but was struck once more on his pads. As the umpire Ian Gould was raising his arm to give Watson out lbw, the ball bounced onto leg stump and dislodged a bail. Watson was given out bowled. Ponting continued his lean trot at Lord's when the legendary batsman managed just 26 runs against Pakistan.

The man who is considered one of cricket's best batsmen in the modern era and often spoken about in the same breath as Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara - has nearly 12,000 runs and 39 hundreds to his credit in the five-day game. In fact, the Australia captain moved ahead of Lara (11,953 runs) into second place on the all-time run scorers' list when he reached 14 not out in tough batting conditions. But he was dismissed shortly thereafter, superbly caught by Umar Amin, the debutant, off the bowling of Aamer.

During his exuberant celebrations, Aamer clashed elbows with Ponting and both players looked back at one another. Whether or not the incident was accidental was unclear. The right-hander's best at the game's most revered ground remains 42, and at age 35, it seems unlikely he will have the opportunity to score a century there - a feat most batsmen look forward to - unless he can do it in Australia's second innings of this game.

That, however, would be the least of Ponting's concerns as the visitors struggled all day. Katich, fortunate to survive an lbw appeal from Aamer when on two, may also have been lucky when on 24 after an appeal for lbw to Danish Kaneria. Katich came through his early struggles and finished with nine boundaries in his 138-ball stay. Hussey passed the 200 mark with a swept six off Kaneria over square leg, then followed that up next ball by driving through extra cover for four.

Paine (seven) endured a tough time before he was caught behind, with the score 206 for six, and fellow debutant Smith (one) was given lbw to Kaneria even though he got an inside edge on to his pad. Mitchell Johnson (three) was bowled by a Kaneria leg-break, while Ben Hilfenhaus (one) was bowled by Aamer. Pakistan, captained for the first time by Shahid Afridi, was seeking its first Test victory over Australia in 15 years. The Australians were chasing a seventh straight Test victory. * AP

Australia (1stinnings): Shane Watson b Aamer 4 Simon Katich c K Akmal b Asif 80 Ricky Ponting c Amin b Aamer 26 Michael Clarke lbw b Asif 47 Mike Hussey not out 39 Marcus North b Asif 0 Tim Paine c K Akmal b Gul 7 Steven Smith lbw b Kaneria 1 Mitchell Johnson b Kaneria 3 Ben Hilfenhaus b Aamer 1 Doug Bollinger not out 0 Extras: (2lb, 10b, 8nb, 1w) 21 Total: (for 9 wickets, 70 overs) 229 Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-51, 3-171, 4-174, 5-174, 6-206, 7-208, 8-213, 9-222. Bowling: Mohammad Aamer 18-2-66-3 (1w), Mohammad Asif 17-5-53-3, Umar Gul 14-3-24-1 (7nb), Danish Kaneria 18-7-49-2 (1nb), Shahid Afridi 3-0-25-0.

A little about CVRL

Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.

One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases. 

The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery. 

SPECS

Nissan 370z Nismo

Engine: 3.7-litre V6

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 363hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh184,500

THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY

Centre Court

Starting at 10am:

Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)

Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog

Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan

Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)

Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)

Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)

Court 1

Starting at 10am:

Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska

Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh

Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet

Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)

Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage

Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse

Court 2

Starting at 10am:

Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang

Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka

Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic

Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri

Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova

Court 3

Starting at 10am:

Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang

Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar

Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova

Recycle Reuse Repurpose

New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to  handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors

Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site

Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area

Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent  organic waste  and 13 per cent  general waste.

About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor

Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:

Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled

Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays

Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters

Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill 

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League last 16, second leg
Liverpool (0) v Atletico Madrid (1)
Venue: Anfield
Kick-off: Thursday, March 12, midnight
Live: On beIN Sports HD

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia